Scarcity
What should be a depressing play about lower-middle-class life in an economically deprived small town turns out to be one of the liveliest entries in the small-theater scene. More »

Nibbler
Ah, those all-important transitions in life. They can certainly be as sudden, scary, and all-consuming as, say, an encounter with a monster in a 1950s sci-fi movie. More »

Noises Off
Michael Frayn's delightfully complicated British farce could hardly have a better rendition than this. More »

Baby It's You
In the tradition of "Dreamgirls," librettists Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux unveil their world-premiere bio-tuner "Baby It's You," which follows the career of the Shirelles, a doo-wop girl quartet. More »

Tree
Familial bonds are seen as the roots of our spiritual essence as we strive to come to terms with self-identity and our emotional needs in Julie Hébert's hauntingly lovely new play. More »

Mary Poppins
This musical is not mere child's play. A tale as well-told as this one seems to have grown up with us. More »

Love Will Tear Us Apart
Writer-director Michael Hyman's debuting two-hander is an almost unbearably somber affair. More »

Slasher
It's not clear whether Allison Moore's horror-film riff is intended as an all-out genre spoof, a pitch-black satire with chilling undercurrents, or something different that hasn't jelled. More »

Beau Fib
Over and over again, small theater companies push the boundaries of conventional drama and try to find new ways to express their ideas with originality. More »

Bleeding Through
Writer-directors Theresa Chavez and Rose Portillo have made no bones about the challenges in adapting Norman Klein's novella "Bleeding Through" for the stage. More »

Sherlock's Last Case
Charles Marowitz's superb spoof of the Sherlock Holmes stories turns the tables on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective, putting the famed mystery-solver in the hot seat. More »

No Man's Land
Michael Peretzian could not have cast better, and he guides his actors with a strong, unifying vision that aids those actors but keeps his audience happily puzzled. More »

LA Review: 'Stray'
Canadian writer Ruth McKee's tautly written drama centers on a character we never see: Daniel is a young African boy, born in strife-torn Uganda. More »

Meet Me in St. Louis
There was palpable excitement in the air on opening night of Musical Theatre West's revisit to this 1989 stage adaptation of the beloved Judy Garland film classic. More »

The Browning Version
Bruce French gives a powerhouse performance as brilliant classical scholar Andrew Crocker-Harris, whose promise has failed him. More »

Saturn Returns
If there's a lesson to be learned, it's taught so gently we miss it, making Noah Haidle's West Coast premiere a great first act to a play we hope he someday finishes. More »

Just 45 Minutes From Broadway
Playwright Henry Jaglom's homage to theater people is populated with a host of eccentric but lovable characters. More »

Wonder of the World
The expression "dirty little secret" may have taken on the most yuck-inducing and yuk-inducing meaning in this David Lindsay-Abaire play. More »

Imagofest
Any festival is always a mixed bag and inevitably a showcase of sorts. More »

Exit Strategy
The best thing about this seriocomic three-hander is that it takes a refreshingly lighthearted look at a life passage that can be riddled with sadness and uncertainty. More »

Better Angels
A little-known slice of American history is interwoven with the creative imagination of playwright Wayne Peter Liebman in this colorful portrait of the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln. More »

Children of the Night
This operettalike musical tells the story of the intense, troubled relationship between Bram Stoker and his employer, the famed actor-manager and matinee idol Sir Henry Irving. More »

Sally Spectre The Musical
The premise underlying this metaphorical musical—namely that, to be truly free, we must face our fears and plumb our depths—is certainly worthy of exploration. More »

Crime and Punishment
While this production skillfully captures many of the themes of Dostoyevsky's classic novel, its static and listless pace makes for an unremarkable evening. More »

Songs for a New World
In this current new world of changing climates, world wars, robust politics, and flu pandemics, Jason Robert Brown's accomplished musical calls our attention to a human conversation. More »